Saturday, September 24, 2011

Impressed With Suzanne Lee

Suzanne Lee is an impressive candidate. The school teacher is running to be the next Boston city councilor for district one, an area that includes Chinatown, the South End and South Boston. I have met Lee a few times. She stopped by the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee earlier this month.

Lee's resume in education makes her ideal to be a city councilor. The quality of Boston's schools is a huge issue for the future of the city. Better schools mean more college graduates (like me) will choose to stay here, versus moving to the suburbs. More confidence in schooling means stronger neighborhoods. It's hard to argue with Lee's views regarding education, since she's been in the classroom for so long. She experienced the very first day of busing in this city.

If I could vote for Lee this coming Tuesday, in the Boston preliminary municipal election, I would. She is challenging the incumbent and one other candidate; the top two vote-getters Tuesday move on to the final election in early November. However, the district city council seat Lee is aiming for does not represent me.

Moreover, on a sliver of Boston is voting on Tuesday. There are less than nine at-large city council candidates, which means all the candidates will pass on to the final election (scheduled for early November). So only precincts with more than two candidates in their respective district city council races need a preliminary. Suzanne Lee is a candidate in one of those races.

If you live in district one where Lee is campaigning, I urge you to cast your vote in her favor Tuesday. These elections have a very, very small turnout. Your vote will matter.

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